Young Woman's Bowel Cancer Battle & Survival
- After sudden weight loss, passing blood, and incontinence, a 22-year-old in the UK was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer and had surgery and chemotherapy to treat it.
- Today, two years later, she is in remission and living life to the fullest. She recently attended a festival where she proudly wore her colostomy bag, also known as a stoma bag.
- Today, she’s encouraging other young people to pay attention to their health.
We love how the Huntingdon native is living her best life after beating cancer and proudly using her stoma bag, which collects excrement from the body. Anderson recently attended a festival where she sported her stoma bag while wearing a blue furry coat and a bikini.
Read More24-year-old teams furry coat and bikini with stoma bags to celebrate surviving cancer and promote others her age to get checked pic.twitter.com/RGat3DQqqt
— Cambridgeshire Live (@Cambslive) August 17, 2022
Today, she’s a proud cancer survivor. Anderson says, "So much happened to me, I shouldn't even be here, but I am."
Anderson’s Diagnosis & Understanding Bowel Cancer
Anderson beat stage three bowel cancer and today she is in remission. Her early symptoms of cancer were sudden weight loss, passing blood, and incontinence, according to Cambridgeshire Live. Later, a "football-sized" tumor was found on her bowel; Anderson had surgery to treat it. She also had three rounds of chemotherapy over six weeks.
Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel, says the National Health Service. Depending on where cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer, or colorectal cancer.
In the UK, where Anderson lives, bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed. And it typically presents in people over the age of 60. And in the U.S., colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, excluding skin cancers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2021 there will be 104,270 new cases of colon cancer and 45,230 new cases of rectal cancer.
Treating a Bowel Obstruction Caused by Colon Cancer
Spending Time with Friends Through Cancer
Anderson is enjoying time with friends after beating cancer. Surrounding yourself with loved ones, like friend and family, can make a big difference in helping you feel supported and emotionally attended to.
In an earlier interview, ovarian cancer survivor Beverly Reeves stresses how critical it is to have a supportive, loving community guiding you during your cancer battle.
Reeves tells SurvivorNet, "f I had one piece of advice for someone who had just been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it would be to get a strong support group together. Get your close friends. If you're connected to a faith community, get your faith community."
"Get your family," says Reeves. "Let them know what's going on and let them help you. And sometimes that's the most difficult thing to do, but just know that they are there. If they love you, they're there to help you. And don't be embarrassed."
She continues, "Because this is a cancer that not a lot of people want to talk about. But it's real and we need to talk about it, and we do need that help. So talk to your family and your friends and your faith community, and get that network together so they can support you and be there for you."
'Faith, Family, and Friends' Helped Beverly Reeves Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.